Enterome appoints Prof. Alessandra Cervino as Head of Discovery

ENTEROME bioscience SA, a pioneer in the development of innovative disease management solutions based on a deep understanding of the gut microbiome, is pleased to announce that Prof. Alessandra Cervino has joined the Company as Head of Discovery.

Prof. Cervino brings over 15 years of experience in the discovery and development of genetic and genomic biomarkers, and has for the past year been consulting to Enterome in relation to its core technologies. As Head of Discovery at Enterome, she will lead a team of bioinformaticians and biostatisticians to deepen the Company’s understanding of the gut microbiome through a metagenomics approach with the goal of developing a new generation of disease biomarkers, companion diagnostics products and new therapy solutions.

Before joining Enterome, Alessandra was VP R&D and Biostatistics at TCLand expression, a personalized medicine company developing companion diagnostics and biomarkers for immune disorders and transplantation. She was previously Head of Statistical Sciences and Assistant Professor at Scripps Florida, where she conducted the first genome-wide study of lupus and developed an innovative workflow that combines genotypic and transcriptomic data to identify novel genes. She was the first group leader in statistical genetics at Rosetta Inpharmatics/Merck in the USA, where she played a pioneering role in translating genetic research programs into new drug targets and pharmacogenomic programs.

Prof. Cervino holds a PhD in Clinical Medicine from the University of Oxford, UK, an MSc in Biometry from the University of Reading, UK and a Mathematics degree from the Free University in Brussels, Belgium. She is the inventor of four patents. She also holds an honorary senior lectureship from Kings College London.

Pierre Belichard, CEO, said: “We are pleased that Alessandra has joined to lead our discovery efforts. Our unique Metagenotyping® process is allowing us to create new industry standards in the quantitative and functional analysis of the gut microbiome as it relates to health and disease. Under her leadership we are confident that our discovery team will be able to drive the development of new disease management solutions based on this key understanding. “

Prof. Cervino added: “Enterome is a true pioneer in understanding the linkage between changes in the gut microbiome and disease. I am looking forward to helping the Company extend its leading position in this exciting new field. The Company’s strong discovery capability combined with its clinical expertise means it has the capabilities to discover and develop the new biomarkers and diagnostics that are needed to improve the management of diseases linked to the gut microbiome. “